What comics are you reading now?

[cobra_commander]

I bet you will dig The Ultimates 1 AND 2.

Actually...from Ultimates 1 and 2 to the current Cap series, this has been one of the best times for Cap comics...

[Brother J]

Anyone know where these books can be found ?

And now that there is some info in this thread, I think I would like to put an entire list together of all these large books. Anyone have a list put together AND does anyone have line on getting any of these books cheap ? I remember having the Star Wars ones when I was a kid and ALWAYS wanting some of the others I could see in advertisements when I was young but I could NEVER find them.

Well, I know someone who has put together a nice listing of treasuries, but you and he aren't exactly buddies, so I don't know if you would want to take a look!

http://www.angelfire.com/comics2/treasury/

He also has a link to this site on treasuries:

http://www.treasurycomics.com/

[Knightt]

Anyone know where these books can be found ?

And now that there is some info in this thread, I think I would like to put an entire list together of all these large books. Anyone have a list put together AND does anyone have line on getting any of these books cheap ? I remember having the Star Wars ones when I was a kid and ALWAYS wanting some of the others I could see in advertisements when I was young but I could NEVER find them.

Well, I know someone who has put together a nice listing of treasuries, but you and he aren't exactly buddies, so I don't know if you would want to take a look!

http://www.angelfire.com/comics2/treasury/

He also has a link to this site on treasuries:

http://www.treasurycomics.com/

Thanks for the info.

[MedicAR]

And now that there is some info in this thread, I think I would like to put an entire list together of all these large books. Anyone have a list put together AND does anyone have line on getting any of these books cheap ? I remember having the Star Wars ones when I was a kid and ALWAYS wanting some of the others I could see in advertisements when I was young but I could NEVER find them.

They are rarely cheap in decent condition. Some of these are a lot of fun, I love DC's Famous First Editions with reprints of Action #1, Detective #27, etc. I recently picked up the Superman Versus Muhammed Ali in VF+.

[MedicAR]

Oh....I forgot.....My LCS has at least one of the Star Wars books for $35-50, I just don't remember. I think it's in nice shape if you want me to look Knightt.

[Knightt]

Oh....I forgot.....My LCS has at least one of the Star Wars books for $35-50, I just don't remember. I think it's in nice shape if you want me to look Knightt.

At that price... hahaha hell no. But super thanks for asking.

[MedicAR]

Oh....I forgot.....My LCS has at least one of the Star Wars books for $35-50, I just don't remember. I think it's in nice shape if you want me to look Knightt.

At that price... hahaha hell no. But super thanks for asking.

I was afraid of that, I'll double check the price next time I'm in, just to be 100%

[Knightt]

Oh....I forgot.....My LCS has at least one of the Star Wars books for $35-50, I just don't remember. I think it's in nice shape if you want me to look Knightt.

At that price... hahaha hell no. But super thanks for asking.

I was afraid of that, I'll double check the price next time I'm in, just to be 100%

Hey, thats cool of you. Thanks... hate to admit it but I do love those books. It's because of the childhood memories, ya know ?

[buff-beardo]

I'm currently reading Avengers Vol. 3, 1-81. I'm only up to #7, but so far they are excellent. Busiek's writing is stellar as usual and Perez's art is incredible. I love these issues because they actually have some stamina to them compared to a majority of the 10 minute quickies we are usually served nowadays.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

I just bought (another) set of Thunderbolts 1-15, because I haven't read them yet. I hope they're good. They sure were the talk of the town....10 years ago!

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Love it or hate it, the mid to late 90's produced some of the best work comics has ever seen.

[Knightt]

I'm currently reading Avengers Vol. 3, 1-81. I'm only up to #7, but so far they are excellent. Busiek's writing is stellar as usual and Perez's art is incredible. I love these issues because they actually have some stamina to them compared to a majority of the 10 minute quickies we are usually served nowadays.

I am working on a run of these as well, they look GREAT... IMO, Perez was THE definative Avengers artists as well as Adams (who just happens the be THE definative Batman artist IMO). Of course, I am working on an ENTIRE run of Avengers as well as Captain America but will probably limit the Cap collection. I was given Captain America 100-143 in GREAT shape and thought, well I have the basics here might as well go for it but I may stop at the $.30 cent cover price range as I am not sure if I can suffer 'Cap Wolf' and things like that. The Avengers on the other hand I feel will have to be from the begining to now as they are classic books for me and I will hopefully be happy with them all. Considering my collection starts around 175 (maybe) I have about 174 of some major and I am sure pricy issues to catch up on. But there is just something about those old issues, they look great, smell great and believe it or not they read great.

[Chiclo]

I've bought one issue of the new Brave and the Bold, and I like it, which is unusual for me to take to a DC comic that quickly that isn't about a character I already like (Lobo, Martian Manhunter or the Spectre mostly). Is it a mini-series?

JSA just rocks.

I have bought a few sporadic issues of 52. Maybe I needed to start reading it from the first, but I just can't get into it.

[cobra_commander]

JLA and Batman, yes...are quite good at the moment especially Batman. But everything else 52 Checkmate etc I can't say I've really enjoyed at all.

The real fun was before Infinite Crisis in my opinion...Villains United OMAC....

[Chiclo]

Cerebus

I picked up the first 6 Swords of Cerebus trades and am finally reading them. I can definitely see the appeal and am enjoying the books thoroughly, but wonder if they were more awe-inspiring framed in the context of the comics market in the late 70s and early 80s.

Up next: Grendel

[leonmallett]

JLA and Batman, yes...are quite good at the moment especially Batman. But everything else 52 Checkmate etc I can't say I've really enjoyed at all.

The real fun was before Infinite Crisis in my opinion...Villains United OMAC....

I think Dini just wrote one of the great Joker story recently TEC is as good as it has been in a long while IMHO, JSA I dare, say might better than JLA (which I really like). The Superman titles as a whole right now are as strong (as a whole) as I can ever remember. I'm not a huge fan of Shazam, but I like that title to, been really digging Manhunter (well before - thanks Brian!), Ion is a pleasant surprise - and Aquaman is a quietly damn good.

I have bought a few sporadic issues of 52. Maybe I needed to start reading it from the first, but I just can't get into it.

I'm just astounded at the details, both DC-contentual and various nods throughout the series. For me it's a starting point and a homage at the same time. I just find it wildly smart - as it to focuses every corner and every series n DC (which is a inherent problem for some) Sitting around pondering the implications of OYL, Crisis, 52 and forthcoming Countdown and WWIII has been real fun for me!

I forgot to mention - Teen Titans and Robin are kind of dope to! I agree with you about JSA - I'd say it's impossible to read the issues out now and not be drawn in.

I'm not prone to be pleased across the board bya product,it's in my nature to be critical - but somebody over at DC knows WTF they are doing, and for me it's awesome to watch!

I'd generally agree with your statements, except regarding knowing what they are doing. Generally yes DC are getting it right, but in one particluar corner (well 2 if you count Waid's 30th century run, but I digress) I have to take issue with DC's direction. The Charlton characters are getting royally shafted by being reimagined/reconceptualised, but without keeping the established base characters. To happen to one maybe two wouldn't be too bad, but vitually all of them? Look at Captin Atom (now in Monarch armour), Blue Beetle (although I enjoy the title, I would prefer to have Ted Kord around), losing Vic Sage as the Question with an apparent imminent replacement who feels like a change for changes sake (I am guessing we haven't got Vic back in the last couple of weeks of 52 that I have missed due to ill-health), Peacemaker (tattoos and 'practical costume' appears the 21st century equivalent to pouches, shoulder pads/armour, and guns for costumes in the late 80's and early 90's), we now appear to have a female Judomaster (why not develop the orginal's son in the role). That kind of leaves Nightshade as the most recognisably unchanged from the introduction we saw in the mid 80's through CoIE.

[Zool]

Change em all, let a Superboy Prime Punch sort it out.

[leonmallett]

I guess it depends on what one's preconception of the DC Universe was. As somebody who never cared about anything DC outside of the Batverse until very recently- some of the changes don't grate against me, in fact it's quite the opposite, it provides putting characters I never cared about in a story so big that I get to choose whether I as wrong or right about my initial (perhaps ignorant) stance).

The Charlton characters meant absolutely nothing to me prior to - so any changes aren't positive or negative for me - I'm just not at all conscious of them. I'm not sure if that is hindering or helping me, I just know that I like the stories - and them - currently.

I think when addressing 'change for changes sake' (an element I find generally distasteful) in any medium we have to discuss who or what is being changed. I have loved being introduced to the Question recently (via this story and in the JLA Unlimited cartoon) and just think he's dope - but a change in this character (permanent or not) doesn't really qualify for me because I mean let's face it - we are talking about The Question. The status quo wasn't holy or - I think - even common knowledge to a lot of people who have been recently reintroduced to the character in a manner they would have never got to enjoy otherwise.

Regarding some choices of legacy characters - it's something I'm withholding judgement on until events in a lot of titles play themselves out - (JSA etc). The reintroduction of the multiverse and the explanation of the OYL and what I think are great random appearances from other continuities (Kingdom Come especially). To be honest Judomaster didn't really loom too much in my thoughts in the first place (Birds of Prey is not a book I buy - although isn't she in Kingdom Come?)- so I really couldn't point that out as a fault that bothered me as say 90% o f what's being done at Marvel with Civil War.

Fair point, it is just that outside of DC's 'top tier' (Batman, Superman, the usual suspects) there have been so many reboots/reconceptualising of so many characters. Looking at the Marvel model (and I say this as more of a DC fan historically), then most of the top, second, third and so on tiers at Marvel are recognisable analogues of how they first appeared, but now written and drawn for modern sensibilities. Take a look at DC and how much change have we seen - we have seen character evolution (good - examples such as Nightwing), but we have also seen reboot/refocusing ad nauseum. As a result LoSH fans with a presence on the net are quite divided as to what is the way forward after 2, arguably 3 or possibly 4 reboots, Wonder Woman has been reconceptualised many times in the last 20-25 years, Hawkman was very much dameged goods for 10-15 years until Geoff Johns took the bull by the horns, again damaged by being rebooted/reimagined. In the 90's we had Artemis/Wonder Woman, a new Fate - leaving more mess, Reign of the Supermen and Supermen Red and Blue, as well of course as Batman/Azreal. We had new incarnations of many of the Freedom Fighters (many or most of whom were killed off in Infinte Crisis). There are many other examples I am sure. DC have been doing this for over 20 years and they still don't seem to learn the lesson.

[leonmallett]

I guess it depends on what one's preconception of the DC Universe was. As somebody who never cared about anything DC outside of the Batverse until very recently- some of the changes don't grate against me, in fact it's quite the opposite, it provides putting characters I never cared about in a story so big that I get to choose whether I as wrong or right about my initial (perhaps ignorant) stance).

The Charlton characters meant absolutely nothing to me prior to - so any changes aren't positive or negative for me - I'm just not at all conscious of them. I'm not sure if that is hindering or helping me, I just know that I like the stories - and them - currently.

I think when addressing 'change for changes sake' (an element I find generally distasteful) in any medium we have to discuss who or what is being changed. I have loved being introduced to the Question recently (via this story and in the JLA Unlimited cartoon) and just think he's dope - but a change in this character (permanent or not) doesn't really qualify for me because I mean let's face it - we are talking about The Question. The status quo wasn't holy or - I think - even common knowledge to a lot of people who have been recently reintroduced to the character in a manner they would have never got to enjoy otherwise.

Regarding some choices of legacy characters - it's something I'm withholding judgement on until events in a lot of titles play themselves out - (JSA etc). The reintroduction of the multiverse and the explanation of the OYL and what I think are great random appearances from other continuities (Kingdom Come especially). To be honest Judomaster didn't really loom too much in my thoughts in the first place (Birds of Prey is not a book I buy - although isn't she in Kingdom Come?)- so I really couldn't point that out as a fault that bothered me as say 90% o f what's being done at Marvel with Civil War.

Fair point, it is just that outside of DC's 'top tier' (Batman, Superman, the usual suspects) there have been so many reboots/reconceptualising of so many characters. Looking at the Marvel model (and I say this as more of a DC fan historically), then most of the top, second, third and so on tiers at Marvel are recognisable analogues of how they first appeared, but now written and drawn for modern sensibilities. Take a look at DC and how much change have we seen - we have seen character evolution (good - examples such as Nightwing), but we have also seen reboot/refocusing ad nauseum. As a result LoSH fans with a presence on the net are quite divided as to what is the way forward after 2, arguably 3 or possibly 4 reboots, Wonder Woman has been reconceptualised many times in the last 20-25 years, Hawkman was very much dameged goods for 10-15 years until Geoff Johns took the bull by the horns, again damaged by being rebooted/reimagined. In the 90's we had Artemis/Wonder Woman, a new Fate - leaving more mess, Reign of the Supermen and Supermen Red and Blue, as well of course as Batman/Azreal. We had new incarnations of many of the Freedom Fighters (many or most of whom were killed off in Infinite Crisis). There are many other examples I am sure. DC have been doing this for over 20 years and they still don't seem to learn the lesson.

I guess for me (in a nutshell) it's right now - a point where we can begin with my introduction to the greater DC Universe which was Identity Crisis it works for me and the previous incarnations, reincarnations, and back again are more or less (when reading back on them) are what they are - either relevant or not now. At this point, I'm just happy for the introductions - and will have to reserve hating change 20 years from now as I look upon this DC era with fondness then.

Regarding Kord - I like him, but I have to say I really like Blue Beetle at the moment as well.

Change can be good, too much or forced change not so. But I wholly respect your stance re: enjoying DC right now. I hope in some strange way we can revisit this discussion in 20 years (assuming either of us remembers! And assuming we are hale and hearty).

[Brother J]

Cerebus

I picked up the first 6 Swords of Cerebus trades and am finally reading them. I can definitely see the appeal and am enjoying the books thoroughly, but wonder if they were more awe-inspiring framed in the context of the comics market in the late 70s and early 80s.

Up next: Grendel

Through the first 25 issues (what is collected in the Swords volumes), Cerebus was basically a humor book, a Conan parody, if you will. Sure, some of the groundwork for some of the more complicated later stories was laid in the issues in the late teens/early 20's, but you didn't really get into the more complex or "awe inspiring" stories until High Society. The later Cerebus isn't really to everyone's taste, I remember when I worked in a comic shop almost 20 years ago as a teen when I first got into Cerebus, the owner of the shop scoffed at me, saying Cerebus has become a bunch of crap since it stopped being a sword and sorcery Conan type book. I give Sim a lot of credit for sticking to his guns and telling the story he wanted to tell, even when all the "fans" around him began jumping ship or criticizing him for the direction the book was taking.

[Zool]

I'm not sure there's a solution to the conflicting demands of maintaining an extensive continuity, creating stories that reflect the readership's desires for the new -and- keeping 'everyone's' favourite characters relatively unchanged.

The last point, in particular has the elastic band effect of reversing most character developments, up to and including death... which kind of mucks about with demand one (maintaining continuities), I remember during the "Breaking of Batman" storyline, reading how Bat's had already had his back broken a couple of times... which is the kind of thing that really makes demand three (new stories) a problem.

It's enough to drive a geek to despair, which it has... and freqently does, despite my at attempts to be both philosphical and inebriated at frequent intervals. And because of my frequent annoyances at the comics I love I'm fortunate in not being emotionally invested in most of DC (which seems a far tanglier mess of spaghetti and Marvel's knotted linguini).

As for change in comics, I embrace it while it's good, I decry it when it's bad and know that either way... it rarely lasts.

Ted Kord might be playing poker with Steve Rogers in heaven right now but as sure as Matt Murdocks current romance is doomed, they'll be back before you can say Bucky.

[Heath]

The new Brave & The Bold is really good!

[Chiclo]

There has probably been more shake-up among the Marvel line with Avengers Disassembled-House of M-Civil War than with any other long-term crossover ever in their line.

Parts of it are good, but other parts I don't like. Are there any long-standing villains left? They ran out of well-established villains so they had to have a civil war among the heroes.

[cobra_commander]

Change em all, let a Superboy Prime Punch sort it out.

I gotta say DC Comics Presents 87 was one of the only Wizard Hot back issues recently that made me feel excited to be hunting for an "event driven" back issue (ie an issue that is super hot at the time and will be worth nothing fairly soon)

[leonmallett]

There has probably been more shake-up among the Marvel line with Avengers Disassembled-House of M-Civil War than with any other long-term crossover ever in their line.

Parts of it are good, but other parts I don't like. Are there any long-standing villains left? They ran out of well-established villains so they had to have a civil war among the heroes.

The villains were pretty purposefully kept of the radar during Civil war I beleive. As I understand it, they are due back in strength this year whilst Hulk kicks some bottom.

Thinking of my last few posts in this thread, I sound like a Marvel Zombie by default (almost), which is a scary thought aged 33 and 11 and a bit months. Surely that happens in you teens?